The San Diego State-New Mexico State game is ugly, which is exactly what the Aztecs want. The nation’s second best defense is absolutely suffocating the 13-seeded Aggies, who are shooting 30.4 percent from the field. Despite the anemic New Mexico State offense, San Diego State hasn’t really pulled away.

The Aztecs haven’t shot it well either, but they’ve gotten to the line 10 times. This is exactly what Steve Fisher’s team does: it grinds on teams and slowly builds a lead as the opposition fades. New Mexico State worked extremely hard in the first half, and it has only 20 points to show for it — that has to be demoralizing for the underdogs.

#SDSUvsNMSU San Diego State asserting control, goes up 12 on a layup from Dwayne Polee. Aggies are being shut down.

(4) Louisville 71 vs. (13) Manhattan 64 — FINAL

ORLANDO — Well, now we know why Rick Pitino was so upset by getting matched up against Manhattan and his former assistant Steve Masiello.

Unlike most of America, which had never seen the Jaspers play, Pitino has been watching them all year and knew that they would present a challenge.

Of course, few could have envisioned just how big that challenge would be for the defending national champions.

Louisville, the so-called hottest team in America and a popular pick to win the national title, was in very real danger of getting knocked out Thursday in the Round of 64.

Manhattan knew all of Louisville’s plays, its full-court presses, its zone defenses and played fearlessly from the opening tip. The Jaspers went right at Louisville, defended well, and found themselves in prime position to score a massive upset with 4:57 remaining when they took a 56-55 lead.

Then, with 4:18 left when Montrezl Harrell got blocked going for a putback and Louisville gave up an easy bucket on the other end, it seemed Manhattan was just a few plays away from doing something special.

In the end, Louisville made some key plays down the stretch to win, particularly senior Luke Hancock, who got a big steal and hit two 3-pointers when Manhattan could’ve tied or taken the lead with a stop.

Though the Cardinals survived, this is definitely a performance that raises questions. Most of Louisville’s blowout victories down the stretch were against bottom-half teams in the American Athletic Conference. The competition will obviously be much tougher from here on out.

(2) Villanova 73 vs. (15) Milwaukee 53 — FINAL

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Panthers hitting their free throws — 8 of 10 this half — to hang in there but they are simply having trouble getting stops on the Wildcats. UW-M is just 1 of 7 from 3 this half while Villanova is 2 for 8 from deep and Wildcats lead 53-44 at the under-8 media timeout. As it nears the midnight hour, the sell-out crowd has dissipated by 40% or so. They’ll be sorry if the 15-seed Panthers can make a little magic.

From USA TODAY Sports’ Erik Brady:

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Villanova leads 42-33 at under-12 media timeout, and the nine-point margin matches its largest of the day, but Panthers still clawing. They’ve missed all five threes this half. If those start to fall, and they’ll keep firing, they can get back in. Competitive fire still in their eyes.

In its last two games, Wildcats are a combined 5-of-37 (.135) from beyond the 3-point arc. That includes loss to Seton Hall last week.

From USA TODAY Sports’ Erik Brady, several minutes into the second half:

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Milwaukee put a big scare into Villanova in the first half but the Wildcats starting to pull away in the second, up 34-29 at the under-16 media timeout. Panthers’ threes aren’t falling anymore (0 for 4 this half) and Villanova asserting itself on the boards. Bad development for St. Joe’s fans. All they have left is rooting against their blood rival. Panthers hanging tough though and may have another run in them.

villanova is still letting milwaukee hang around and no matter how this game ends jay wright will probably have some words for his team

Milwaukee is making it a game in Buffalo against the 2-seed Villanova Wildcats. The Panthers actually led 21-16 before Jay Wright’s team ended the half on an 11-3 run. Villanova seems like they’re on the verge of pulling away but shots just aren’t falling. The Wildcats are 0-12 from beyond the arc and shooting just 30.3 percent from the field.

Milwaukee has hit five threes, but Horizon League champs are shooting 27.3 percent overall. Part of the problem has been leading scorer Jordan Aaron, who’s gone 0-7 from the field. If the Panthers are going to stay close, they’ll need the 5-foot-10 senior to start making shots.

MILWAUKEE — Defense was mostly a rumor in the first half as seventh-seeded Texas ran to a 41-36 lead over No. 10 Arizona State in the NCAA tournament nightcap.

The Longhorns fired at a sizzling 59.3-percent mark from the field while the Sun Devils sparked it at a 51.9-percent pace. Both were deadly from beyond the three-point arc as well: Texas shot 50 percent, while ASU shot 66.7 percent.

Top guns included the Longhorns’ Isaiah Taylor (nine points, 4 of 7 from field) and the Devils’ Jermaine Marshall (nine points, 3 of 5) .

North Dakota State’s offense is having its way with Oklahoma’s interior defense. The Bison are have hit four threes, but they are also shooting 11-16 from inside the arch. The Sooners have struggled to defend the paint all season, and things haven’t changed in the NCAA tournament.

They also haven’t shot the ball well — Oklahoma is shooting 32.4 percent from the field. The Sooners saving grace has been its offensive rebounding, which has allowed them to put up ten more shots than the hot-shooting Bison. North Dakota State will need to clean that up if it wants to be the second 12-seed to pull off an upset today.

North Carolina State continues to do what it does best: score inside. The Wolfpack has scored 18 points in the paint, compared to just six for Saint Louis. The Billikens haven’t looked good on the offensive end, but they have hit five threes, which has kept them in the game.

Wolfpack forward T.J. Warren, despite drawing the attention of at least two defenders every time down the court, scored 10 points. If Saint Louis wants to win this game, it has to crash the defensive glass a little harder. NC State, which hasn’t been a great rebounding team this season, is owning the boards — the Wolfpack have grabbed six offensive rebounds on just 18 misses.

Good thing the Billikens are a defensive team because their offense is pretty dysfunctional

(7) Connecticut 89 vs. (10) Saint Joseph’s 81 — FINAL

From USA TODAY Sports’ Erik Brady, minutes before the end of the game:

BUFFALO, N.Y. — St. Joe’s gritty starters going almost all the way and keeping their legs and their lead. Credit Halil Kanacevic, who’s got 12 points and five rebounds and five assists. St. Joe’s hanging on 66-62 at the under-4 media timeout. Shooting better now and coach Phil Martelli parceling out timeouts to try to keep his Hawks fresh. Could be decided at the buzzer, just like the Dayton game in Buffalo a few hours ago.

From USA TODAY Sports’ Erik Brady, nearing the end of the second half:

BUFFALO, N.Y. — This one looks like it is going down to the gun. UConn’s Shabazz Napier living up to the shebang of his name, and his rep, in the second half after struggling in the first. UConn leads St. Joe’s 57-56 at the under-8 media timeout.

From USA TODAY Sports’ Erik Brady, midway through the second half:

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Fast pace of game catching up to St. Joe’s. The Hawks look a little tired as UConn comes back from 7 down to come within two (51-49) at midpoint of second half. St. Joe’s shooting just 37.5% for the half as they don’t seem to have their legs under them. Huskies kept hanging around and Shabazz Napier is finding his way to the basket.

From USA TODAY Sports’ Erik Brady, at halftime:

BUFFALO, N.Y. — St. Joe’s looks smarter, more athletic and (if this keeps up) who knows, maybe better looking too. Hawks lead the Huskies at the half 40-35 and they’re doing it with shooting (14 of 25 from the field), rebounding (17-13 edge) and a relentless will to push the ball. UConn star Shabazz Napier looks out of sorts (2 of 8 from the field) while St. Joe’s Langston Galloway (12 points) and DeAndre Bembry (10 points) are hitting.

But UConn has managed to stay close by hitting threes (6 of 11, including 2 of 3 by both Ryan Boatright and DeAndre Daniels) and getting six more shots from the field (14 of 31).

UConn has taken some dumb shots, but they're played pretty well defensively. This is just a very impressive half from St. Joseph's.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — St. Joe’s pulling away from UConn, leading35-26 at the under-4 media time out with red-hot shooting (65%) and an up-and-down pace. UConn’s do-everything star Shabazz Napier struggling mightily from the field (2 of 8). UConn (42% from field) staying in it with three-point shooting (4 of 8, same mark as St. Joe’s).

From USA TODAY Sports’ Steven Ruiz:

From USA TODAY Sports’ Erik Brady midway through the first half:

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Hawks forward DeAndre Bembry delighting the Buffalo crowd with high-flying dunks and drives. Hawks guard Langston Galloway has hit five of six, including a pair of 3s and SJU leads UConn 27-20 with seven left in the half. You have to wonder if St. Joe’s, which has less depth, can keep up this pace. Certainly the Hawk mascot can. He never stops flapping his wings for entire games. UConn’s Huskie looks doggone docile next to him.

SJoes overall size will be the difference. They are switching all ball screens.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — St. Joe’s and UConn playing fast-paced game with seven lead changes in eight minutes. Both teams running and gunning. St. Joe’s hitting nearly 60 percent of its shots, up 18-16 at under-12 media time out. Crowd roaring louder for the Hawks than the Huskies.

Michigan goes into halftime with a 14-point lead over Wofford but it could have been a lot bigger. The Wolverines shot 64 percent in the first half but committed eight turnovers. Wofford cannot score in the half-court — the Terriers are shooting just 33 percent from the field — so if Michigan can just take care of the ball, this game shouldn’t be much of a contest in the second half.

Michigan has an uncharacteristic seven turnovers in the first 16-plus minutes.

Michigan State is shooting 54 percent from the field and 61.5 percent from three; yet the Big Ten champs lead Delaware by only 11. The Spartans have struggled taking care of the ball, turning it over 10 times in the first half. If Tom Izzo’s team cleans up their sloppiness and continues to dominate the boards, it should be able to keep up this offensive pace and cruise to a win.

The Blue Hens shot just 36.7 percent but they have made five threes, which is keeping them in the game. Delaware doesn’t have an answer for Adreian Payne. The Michigan State big man is six of eight from the field and has made all four of his three-point attempts. He has 23 points at the half.

Michigan State center Adreian Payne has 23 points so far in the first half.

Adreian Payne is tied for your Thursday points leader. And it's the first half.

(1) Florida 67 vs. (16) Albany 55– FINAL

ORLANDO — Is it nitpicking to look at a 33-2 basketball team and see flaws? Florida rolled into the Round of 32 with a 67-55 victory over No. 16 seed Albany, but it continued a trend of less-than-stellar play from the Gators in recent weeks.

No doubt, you’ve got to give Florida credit for winning 27 games in a row and sweeping the SEC. But if the Gators don’t fix some things, there will be trouble around the bend.

No. 1 seeds have struggled at times in their first NCAA tournament games and gone on to be fine, but by and large they’re supposed to dominate them — and Florida didn’t dominate Albany.

Sure, the score got a little out of hand at the end, but the Great Danes were in the game most of the way. In fact, they led through some stretches of the first half, only trailed by six at halftime, and had it tied up with 14:32 left before Florida went on a 7-0 spurt.

And even then, the Gators had trouble completely putting away Albany, a team that went just 19-14 this season, until Scottie Wilbekin’s 3-pointer with 2:05 left.

Florida’s defense was much better in the second half, and the Gators were finally able to dominate in the paint, but this looked a whole lot like some performances late in the SEC season when they did just enough to squeak by the likes of Ole Miss, Auburn and Vanderbilt. Their offense, which isn’t a strength to begin with, didn’t flow and their defensive intensity was choppy.

They’ll need a much more complete effort Sunday against Pittsburgh if they want to make the Sweet 16, much less the Final Four that nearly everyone expects.

Florida has pushed ahead, 48-41, with 11:02 left in the game. Albany’s D.J. Evans was just pulled from the game, with TV commentators suggesting the team’s trainers wanted to evaluate him again. He leads the team with 14 points and five rebounds.

Point guard D.J. Evans, who has 14 points and has willed Albany into threatening No. 1 Florida, just left the floor after taking a knee to the head. He was down on the court for a few minutes, and his teammates seems shaken.

Albany not deep. Evans took a knee to the head. They have no realistic chance without him.

ORLANDO — Florida’s defense from the SEC season hasn’t quite shown up yet in Orlando. The Gators, who were almost impossibly hard to score on this season, have taken a 34-28 lead over Albany into halftime but surely are not happy with the way the first 20 minutes of their NCAA Tournament played out.

Albany was completely content to run up and down the floor against Florida’s better athletes, got good shots and made a lot of them. The Great Danes shot 46 percent and led for long stretches of the first half until Florida took control inside the final five minutes. Teams only made 42.9 percent of their 2-point attempts against the Gators this season, but Albany converted 11-of-20.

Though the game is close at halftime, don’t expect Albany to hang around and become the first 16 seed to beat a No. 1. They don’t have much size or muscle inside, and Florida was getting layup after layup when they moved the ball.

(3) Syracuse 77 vs. (14) Western Michigan 33– FINAL

BUFFALO, N.Y. — And we have hit that stage where the Syracuse-Western Michigan game is borderline unwatchable. The Orange are in cruise control while controlling the boards, the pace and the score, now at 61-38 and counting. Jim Boeheim finding it difficult to find something to scowl about. Crowd saving its biggest roar during the under 8 media timeout for video board review of the Syracuse national championship in 2003, lots of shots of Carmelo Anthony smiling. The perpetual smile of the Orange mascot, a walking piece of fruit, somehow looks even bigger just now.

From USA TODAY Sports’ Erik Brady, several minutes into the second half:

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The question of the day here in Buffalo was which Syracuse team would show up, the 25-0 one or the 2-5 one? Didn’t take long to find the answer. The Orange are cruising in the second half, up 50-28 as we head to the under-16 timeout. You know Trevor Cooney is out of his shooting slump when he drills a three and is fouled, converting a four-point play. Pro-Syracuse crowd boos when the outclassed Broncos get a foul call, begrudging them even that. Jerami Grant’s slam-dunk draws a roar from the crowd twice, once when it happens and again when it replays on the big board.

Western Michigan's David Brown is limping noticeably during halftime warmups. MW

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Syracuse is having its way with Western Michigan, up 40-21 at the half, beating the Broncos down the court and off the boards. Trevor Cooney is breaking out of his shooting slump, with three of seven from three, and he leads the Orange with 12 points.

Turnovers are killing the Broncos: They have 11 of them and the Orange have 13 points off of them. That’s the best way for a struggling offense to get well: easy baskets. David Brown, Western Michigan’s senior guard, is just one-for-five from the field. His last shot before the half was blocked and he just stood there with frustration boiling over. The Orange lead in rebounding 16-nine and 6-one in offensive rebounding, which has led to easy put-backs.

Last time a Broncos team seemed this far out of it at the half was the Super Bowl.

From USA TODAY Sports’ Erik Brady, nearing the end of the first half:

BUFFALO, N.Y. — C.J. Fair on a twisting and-one in the lane gives Syracuse a 15-point lead as Western Michigan does it best to hang in with the Orange. Lot of orange in the crowd scattered throughout the arena, not just behind the Syracuse bench. David Brown misses an open three, just the sort of shot the underdog needs. And too many turnovers for the over-amped Broncos, giving the Orange way too many chances. It’s 31-13 with just more than four to play in the first half.

From USA TODAY Sports’ Erik Brady, midway through the first half:

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Western Michigan trying to hang tough with Syracuse but the Orange’s quickness is telling. First bucket for the Orange came on a steal and Broncos must keep the turnovers down so as not to allow easy buckets to a team that has struggled to score of late. Jerami Grant’s emphatic dunk to give the Orange a 12-4 lead came on a spin move in the lane on which Western Michigan looked two steps slow. Then Trevor Cooney followed with a 3 which is more bad news, because if he comes out of his shooting slump it could be game over. Syracuse up 17-9 with just more than 10 minutes left in first half.

SPOKANE, Wash. — An upset might be brewing in Spokane — though it’s debatable whether, at this point, we should call it an upset. No. 12 seed Harvard leads No. 5 seed Cincinnati 36-29 at halftime, and the Crimson seems fully capable, despite getting rattled by the Bearcats’ press at times, of winning this one.

One other gleaning from the first half: The Bearcats are offensively challenged. At one point, they missed 12 consecutive shots and went more than eight minutes without a field goal as Harvard led by nine points.

We all knew Cincinnati could defend, of course, and when they turned up the pressure, they got back in it, pulling within two late in the first half after a series of forced turnovers (and after their leading scorer, Sean Kilpatrick, got hot from deep).

But Laurent Rivard hit a 3-pointer, Siyani Chambers converted a steal into two free throws, and Harvard stretched the lead back to seven. The Crimson hit six three pointers in the half, on 11 attempts.

It wouldn’t be as big as last year’s win over New Mexico, but could Harvard be a Cinderella with staying power?

From USA TODAY Sports’ Steven Ruiz:

Harvard leads the higher-seeded Cincinnati at the half thanks to unreal first-half shooting. The Crimson are hitting 54 percent of their shots from outside. The Bearcats have struggled from the field, as they’re wont to do. But they have also done well on the offensive glass, grabbing seven of their 22 misses. That combined with eight Harvard turnovers has kept Cincinnati in the game despite shooting just 35.5 percent.

From USA TODAY Sports’ Steven Ruiz:

One vulnerability for Harvard is they make under 6 threes per game. Guard oriented but only one great long range shooter.

Harvard seems to be everyone’s upset pick — even President Obama has his alma mater advancing to the round of 32. Cincinnati and its ninth-ranked defense will be a formidable obstacle to overcome for the Ivy League champs. On the other end of the floor, the Bearcats rely on guard Sean Kilpatrick for points. Mick Cronin’s team does not shoot well, but it crashes the offensive glass hard. Harvard, a good rebounding team, will have to keep Cincinnati off the glass if the Crimson want to pull off another upset.

ORLANDO — From the very beginning, Colorado looked a bit overseeded as the No. 8 in the South Region. After all, this was a team that lost its best player to injury in January in point guard Spencer Dinwiddie and never really did much after that, staggering into the NCAA tournament. In many ways, it was an accomplishment for Buffaloes coach Tad Boyle to hold it together enough to make the field of 68 at all.

But Colorado probably won’t remember its experience fondly. The first game in Orlando on Thursday was basically a whitewash from the opening tip, as Pitt dominated the first half and took a 46-18 lead.

Colorado didn’t score its first points until 14:17 of the first half, at which point they were already down 11-0. Boyle tried everything, calling timeouts, changing lineups, but Colorado simply could not get good looks at the rim against Pitt’s defense.

The Panthers packed the paint, doubled whenever Colorado threw it into the post and forced tough shots. Colorado made just 5-of-17 in the first half and committed 10 turnovers. Pitt shot 62.1% and turned it over once.

This is about as noncompetitive as an 8-9 game can be.

This is officially worse than either regular season start vs. Arizona. Wow. Didn't see this one coming. #CUBuffs

Ohio State having trouble with Dayton center Matt Kavanaugh (nine points) and Buckeyes breaking down with turnovers in mid second half. They got back in the game when the Flyers had their own stretch of giveaways and the Buckeyes drew closer on one particularly wild sequence when each side traded a pair of turnovers and dueling fast breaks, ending with a Buckeyes dunk. The spate of turnovers looks less like nerves and more like a war of attrition. Game faces all around nearing halfway point of second half, game all even at 43.

From Sports on Earth’s Will Leitch, minutes into the second half:

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dayton has always been seen as a younger brother to their bigger, badder neighbors of Ohio State just 70 miles to the west. Ohio State has won 54 NCAA tournament games; Dayton has won 14 (and the Buckeyes notoriously avoid playing the Flyers in the regular season). But one thing is clear today: Dayton has a massive fan-base advantage, at least here in Buffalo.

Flyers fans must outnumber Buckeyes fans roughly 5-to-1, and noise-wise, the difference is substantial. Every Dayton basket is greeted with a roar; every foul call against the Flyers is jeered loudly. Of course, this might not just be Dayton fans: With Syracuse on tap next, the Flyers have become the favorite of the tens of thousands of people in orange, who might prefer to play them rather than Aaron Craft and the Buckeyes. Dayton’s fans have famously traveled well to road games, even packing the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for last year’s Atlantic-10 tournament. They’re representing well against their erstwhile, larger rivals today. And their team is ahead by three at halftime.

Dayton is 97th in the nation in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency. Ohio State is 124th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency. Buckeyes need to guard.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Ohio State and Dayton playing an in-state rivalry game in the madness of March. It’s Dayton’s quickness vs. Ohio State’s bruising defense. Drama and intensity is high. Sometimes feels like even the bands plain don’t like each other. Dayton at its best when pushing the pace and beating Buckeyes down the floor. Ohio State at it best when it can ugly-up the game with its half-court defense. Flyers up 33-30 at the half and this one has the feel of a game that will be tight to the finish. Aaron Craft leads Ohio State with nine points. Sometimes feels likes he’s been a Buckeye since the Jerry Lucas era. Devin Oliver and Dyshawn Pierre lead Dayton with seven apiece. The War of Ohio played out in Buffalo.

Another stat that must change for #Buckeyes in second half: Craft 2 assists, 4 turnovers. #buckbk

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dayton Flyers got down 5-0 to Ohio State out of the gate but roared back into it by beating the Buckeyes down the floor and with 3-point shooting (two of their first three, but cooled off missing last two). Flyers playing confidently and crowd is clearly in their corner. Thad Motta’s face is the color of Ohio State’s cheerleading uniforms as he pleads with officials. This is a fun game, always with the undercurrent that in-state behemoth won’t play Dayton until days like today when it has to. Ohio State 22-21 at midway of first half.